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If there is one thing that I do incessantly it is try to understand the world around me. I am endlessly curious. If a group of people “A” do one thing, then why do others do “B”? What motivates them? What is their truth?

Like everyone, I am watching the news on Ebola very closely trying to gauge how it could impact me and our world. As someone who travels for a living, I need to know what is going on so I can take the necessary precautions to protect myself, and keep me and my business healthy.

One element that has me very curious right now is the bio-hazard cleanups that occurred in four Ebola cases that we know of here in the U.S. And it raises questions for me, and leaves me with no concrete answers to understand.

We have been told that the only way Ebola is transmitted is through direct contact with body fluids. And we’ve also been told that Ebola can only live on surfaces for a short period of time. I suspect these are both truths from what we know to date. I have little reason to doubt anyone about this at this point.

I did some digging and found the longest studied documented case of Ebola surviving on another substance was 6 days.

So when someone comes down with Ebola, why are we severely gutting their apartments?

See what they did to Amber Vinson’s apartment here.

I can understand saying the apartment is a danger zone and banning people from entry for a week or two, and cleaning out perishable foods and liquids, and any contaminants such as blood or vomit, but to remove 53 barrels of waste material and call it hazardous from a small apartment is unsettling. They removed nearly everything.

It seems completely inconsistent and has me scratching my head in curiosity.

Also, I wouldn’t think they would want to send anyone in for a week to make sure we don’t further contaminate people unnecessarily.  Why take undue risks that aren’t necessary?  Let the virus die if it is there.

If they just did a basic sanitation and closed and locked the door for two weeks, you would think that would be sufficient, but by the actions we see people doing, they don’t believe it is. And who makes these decisions?  What are the laws? Are we just reacting out of fear?  What is the truth here? Is there fear Ebola could be spread through the air?

Then I was shocked to read the fiancee of the doctor in New York City, Morgan Dixon, went back to the apartment they shared with Craig Spencer, the first NYC doctor to return from Africa and get Ebola.  After a 1-day bio-cleanup in his apartment, she returned there again.   You can surmise if she was able to return to that apartment to live in it, it obviously wasn’t nearly as stripped as what we saw happen to the Texas for the nurses apartments, without question.

Why the differences?

And so I ask what is the truth here? Are people simply reacting in panic? Is this only going to happen in apartments to alleviate fears of the remaining residence? Is this overly cautious behavior?  Or is there more to this?

Can we continue to do this if we get a bigger outbreak?  Is this reasonable?

Right now I do not have the answers…I am watching closely to learn more.